CHENNAI: Coffee brand celebrates Madras heritage through merchandise

Chennai: Four years ago, Vignesh V, Shivani Murali and Venkatesh Kannan started Davara, a coffee brand that aims to popularise chicory-free, freshly roasted and brewed filter coffee. They oversee every step of the process and work closely with small farmers. They also supply coffee beans to cafes across the city. Earlier this year, the trio launched Abrakadavara, a new brand that combines Chennai’s art and culture with coffee, adding to the local coffee culture. “We started this community in honour of the city of Madras and its people. We are expanding into merchandise and later coffee equipment. This initiative focuses on art, including products designed by various artists, which will be launched soon.

Each artist and their work will be showcased on the merchandise. We have launched the ‘kaapi dabba’ (coffee tin), which is reminiscent of Indian homes and a nostalgic symbol of everyday life,” says Shivani. In addition, the team has also introduced T-shirts designed for the Madras weather. “The response to the shirts has been positive. We did photo shoots of individuals wearing the T-shirts in authentic Madras locations. Rather than highlighting the T-shirt, our aim was to show the person immersed in that environment. We plan to release more designs in this series in the next few weeks,” she explains. The team has also organised some exciting events for people to participate in, such as the upcoming painting session on June 30. “This ‘Paint a Picture’ session will be led by artist Mahalakshmi Somasundar, where participants will create artworks depicting various aspects of Madras. The event will take place at Davara Coffee in Alwarpet,” Shivani announced.